


Without Me, You've Got it All

by Turning_Page



Category: Descendants (2015)
Genre: Bullying, Established friendships, F/F, F/M, Post-Movie, Sexuality, also straights, child abuse - primarily mental, established relationships - Freeform, lesbians and gays, so many ocs seriously
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-28
Updated: 2016-03-03
Packaged: 2018-05-23 16:18:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6122226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Turning_Page/pseuds/Turning_Page
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Girl, save your soul; before you're too far gone, before nothing can be done." </p><p>Ella of Arendelle has simple wants - to ace her exams, to read every book in Auradon Prep's library, to discern why she can't find any boy attractive. But when more Isle of the Lost kids arrive in Auradon, it's Ingrid Westergaard, daughter of Hans, that turns her world upside down, and makes Ella question everything she ever knew about life in Auradon, love, and herself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. eclipsed

**Author's Note:**

> I’m a total slut for Descendants. I’m even more of a slut for Descendants OCs. The possibilities are practically endless. And when this idea popped into my mind…well, I just had to write it.  Enjoy! And review, if you are so inclined.

Ella knows it’s going to be an interesting day when King Ben says he has another announcement to make.

A groan emerges from the table when the speakers overhead crackle as the morning announcements come to a close. Usually, no one bothers to listen to them, but whenever King Ben comes on…well, you know it’s important

“I bet you five dollars Ben and Mal are announcing their engagement,” Finn Fitzherbert says. Ella isn’t surprised that Finn is the first to speak; in fact, she expects it. Finn is chatty and bright, and she never, _ever_ shuts up. It’s a weird departure from her older sister, Anxelin – who prefers texting to speaking.

Merin DunBroch – the eldest of the DunBroch triplets – is the first to respond. “No way. We would have heard about it already.” Her voice has just the lightest traces of the accent her mother bears – something that all three redheaded kids have in common (though little else).

“Maybe she got knocked up,” says Sara White. “I mean, that’s a possibility, right?”

Finn shakes her head. “We would have seen a bump.”

“Oh, come _on_ , guys,” Melody says. “Are you totally oblivious?”

Ella raises one eyebrow at the dark-haired girl, but declines to speak. Instead, she focuses her gaze on her pastel blue nails.

“More Isle of the Lost kids,” Anders says. He’s the only boy at the table, and Ella’s cousin. He’s tall and bulky, with thick red hair and brown eyes, and is on the school’s Tourney team. “Ben wanted more of ‘em to be shipped to Auradon.”

“Exactly.” Melody says.

“Which ones, though?” Sara asks.

The prospects of more Isle kids bring a million theories to the table. Melody says that it’ll probably be another four kids; Finn speculates that it’ll be more than four; Merin wonders aloud whether or not they’ll ever let Gaston’s kids into Auradon, to which everyone scoffs at.

“When’d he say to go to the auditorium?” Ella asks, interrupting the group. It’s the first thing she has said since King Ben has spoken, and she says it loud enough so that the entire table falls to a hush as she speaks.

Ella of Arendelle isn’t usually so quiet. When you grow up with an aunt as talkative as hers’, it’s hard to be entirely silent. Yet the idea of more Isle of the Lost children disturbs her.

It isn’t like she hates Mal and her gang. In fact, she’s kinda-sorta friends with Evie and Carlos. But just because they’re the outliers doesn’t mean the entirety of the island is like that. For all they know, the rest are truly rotten to the core – and can’t be changed for the better, either.

Anders tosses the scraps of his lunch into a nearby trash can, not even bothering to look where he’s throwing. He shrugs. “Like, twenty minutes.” Melody nods in agreement.

The blonde starts swirling around the spoon that’s in the tea she brought to school, staring at the brown liquid. “’Kay,” she replies halfheartedly.

Merin runs a hand through her short red curls. “You alright, Ella?”

“Yeah, it’s nothing.” Ella smiles lopsidedly. “Just tired.”

Anders jams an elbow into his cousin lightly – luckily, she had just stopped spinning the spoon around in her tea, or else there would have been a very large and very noticeable brown stain on her pale blue dress. “She probably thinks Isle guys are hot. Ten bucks says she’ll try and flirt with the new guys.”

Her stomach churns a bit. Anders always jokes about her flirting with guys, but the truth is, she’s never done it. Not once. Which is strange, she thinks, because nearly every other girl she knows flirts – some shamelessly, some rarely, and some fall in-between. There are handsome boys, sure – of course they are, it’s an entire school filled with princes and princesses. Yet while most fawn over people like King Ben and Chad Charming, Ella feels…nothing.

But before she can try and dig deeper into that discomfort, Anders pulls her out of her thoughts. “Hey, earth to Ella. We’re all about to go to the auditorium. You in?”

Ella smiles again, smoothing the ruffles out of her dress. “Of course,” she answers, because that’s the right thing to say, and after all, she doesn’t want to disappoint.

* * *

Sometimes, Ella wonders if Ben ever considers wearing anything other than blue and yellow.

That doesn’t mean he doesn’t look dashing in those colors. In fact, he looks…regal. Which makes sense – he’s the king, after all. But still, she sometimes has to ask herself what he would look like in colors beside gold and royal blue.

Mal, too – even though it’s been nearly half a year since she’s arrived from the Isle, she still likes to wear a variety of purples, greens, and blacks. That, combined with her distinctive hair color, makes her visible even in the densest of crowds.

Then again, everyone else is color coded, so why would they be exceptions? Even Ella – she found herself wearing light blues and whites more often than not.

And in Auradon Prep’s auditorium, it is a rainbow of pastels (save for the distinctive clothes that the Isle kids wore). There are sprinklings of the distinctive blue and yellow school colors, as well, most notably in the letterman jackets that the Tourney kids wear, and the majority of them sit up front. Ella could see the perfectly groomed Chad Charming amongst them (who Finn, she knows, has held a grudge towards ever since he cheated on her older sister with at least twelve other girls).

“As you all know, I let four children from the Isle of the Lost come to the USA,” Ben says. “And due to the resounding success we had with allowing them to live here, I have decided to let more Isle kids come to Auradon.”

The hush that had previously fallen over the students immediately ceases; first as a dull roar, but eventually the murmurs begin to increase in volume.

Mal walks up to the podium that Ben is standing on, leans towards the mic, and practically screeches, “Shut _up_!” As if she waves a wand and says “Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo”, the crowd quickly does exactly as she says.

Ben blushes lightly, which makes Finn elbow Ella and snicker “lovebirds” into her ear. He coughs, and then continues, “Thanks, Mal. As I said, I’m allowing more teenagers from the Isle of the Lost to come to our country. I have already chosen those who I’ve decided need our help.”

Ella raises her eyebrows; her stomach begins to churn, worrying about whom, exactly, the King decides will be moving to Auradon.

“The children of the following villains will arrive at Auradon in the next week: Anastasia Tremaine, Mother Gothel, the Queen of Hearts, and Hans, ex-Prince of the Southern Isles.” Ben looks rather pleased with himself, all things considered; he looks like he’s just ordered a thousand cream cakes instead of discussing the most dastardly villains to ever walk the face of the planet.

Her eyes widen. Her stomach decides to plummet into the depths of the earth rather than continue churning. It is as if the entire world decides to stop moving.

Hans’ kid. Kids? Who knows. But they are going to arrive at Auradon in less than a week. She is going to have to face the kid whose father tried to murder both her mother and her aunt. The children of the man who was so sweet, so charming at first, but then so cold, so cruel, so calculating. And he’s probably raised his kids to act exactly the same, sickeningly, cloyingly sweet, and Gods, this is something she never wanted to occur.

 _This is_ not _happening._ Ella thinks.

And while the blood rushes to her ears, making the rest of Ben’s speech unheard, she leaves the auditorium. She can feel eyes settle on her back as she pushes the heavy door open, watching eagerly, probably thirsty for her reaction. She doesn’t want to see anyone, least of all the King. She doesn’t even want to be at school anymore. Maybe if she vomits up her breakfast, they’ll let her go back home.

The hallways are empty, the white-and-blue tiles scuffed from years of sneakers rubbing against them constantly. The blue lockers become a blur as Ella practically runs to the bathroom, and before she knows it, she actually has vomited. Luckily, she at least made it to the toilet.

She’s shaking and palpitating, and the bathroom floor she’s kneeling on is as cold as the ice her mother can make. She hates this, hates her disgusting reaction, hates that Ben is letting his kid (kids?) come to Auradon, hates that this is the life she’s going to have to live now, seeing redhead villains in her classes, in the hallways, always one step ahead of her, knowing exactly how she’s going to react. They’re going to play with her, make her a pawn in their games, and she doesn’t want that, she’d never want that in a million years.

 “Are you okay?” From behind, Ella can hear Finn’s voice – not as brash and excited as it usually is, but rather concerned and soft.

The blonde realizes she didn’t even have the decency to lock the bathroom stall. “No, I’m not okay, Finn.”

“Ellie,” the brunette sighs, “I get it, you aren’t happy about this, but it’s not like Ben’s out to get you.” She sees the mess her second cousin made, and wrinkles her nose. “Ew.”

“He’s letting their kids here. Their dad tried to murder my family.” Ella says. Her voice is sharp, cold, just like the icicles that hang from her family’s castle in the winter. She has to wonder – does her mother know? How long has she known? What is she going to do about it?

“Yeah, and Gothel’s mom kept my mom locked up in a tower for eighteen years.” Finn replies. “But you have to let the past go. Look at Mal and Evie and Carlos and Jay. They’re not at all like their parents are. You like Evie. You’re friends with her. Do you think she’d make you eat a poisoned apple? Or Mal. Do you think she’d make you prick your finger on a wheel and fall into an eternal sleep?”

“But a sociopath’s kid—”

“Just ‘cause their dad’s an utter psycho doesn’t mean they are, too. Ben’s not an idiot, Ella. He wouldn’t let someone who would actually hurt you – or any of us, for that matter – to come to Auradon.”  Finn sounds so confident in what she’s saying, and Ella knows that she’s just trying to make the both of them feel better about what’s going to happen.

Ella doesn’t respond. She doesn’t know what to say anymore. There are a billion thoughts running through her head, and quite a few of them involve words that she wouldn’t dare say aloud.

Finn, not ever being comfortable with utter silence, decides to fill the void with her own voice. “You made quite an exit. You acted like Ben had ordered everyone in Auradon to hunt you down or something. You probably made him feel like crap.” Even though she can’t see her face, Ella knows that Finn has some obnoxious smirk on her face.

“Do you think I can go back home?” Ella asks quietly. She sounds like she’s five again: Anders telling her yet another horror story about Hans, which leads to her having nightmares, and crawling into her mother’s bed at two in the morning, scared to death that she’s going to be cut in half by a sword. The image of her aunt becoming a frozen statue, her eyes glazed over, determined to save her mother, even at the cost of her own life; the determined, hollow glint in Hans’s eyes as he lifts his heavy, intricately-designed sword in the air, fixated on murdering the newly-crowned Queen…

Finn surveys the scene again, putting her hand on her hips. “Considering you projectile vomited the entirety of your guts into a toilet, I think so.”

Her entire body shakes; she feels weak, so weak. This entire mess has drained her, and she knows that it isn’t Ben’s fault, not really. Ben is sweet and caring, and he wouldn’t ever want to hurt anyone.

“Come on, let’s go get the office to call your mom,” Finn says. She puts a hand on Ella’s shoulder, gently, as if she might break into a million pieces if she grips any harder (which, to be honest, Ella feels like might happen).

Ella tries to stand up, feeling weak in the knees. She’s afraid she might collapse at any moment, so she leans into Finn, who wraps an arm around her shoulders. She feels so melodramatic, and she knows that she doesn’t deserve this sort of pity or sympathy.

As they walk slowly towards the main offices at the front of the school, Ella can hear Ben’s voice echoing faintly. He’s still talking, something about reminders of protocol when Isle of the Lost kids arrive at Auradon Prep, and though Ella attempts to make an effort to listen, she just can’t. Her ears are ringing somewhat, a soft pulse that won’t go away.

“Do you think I’m overreacting?” She says, counting the tiles on the floor.

Finn pauses for the briefest of moments. “Somewhat. But I mean…I get it. I think you’re being a little pessimistic, and I definitely think you’re exaggerating the seriousness of the situation, but…well…their dad was…really evil.” It’s so strange, seeing Finn sort of at a loss for words, and Ella wants to laugh, because really, who expected Finn Fitzherbert, of all people, to not know what to say?

But she doesn’t. Her stomach is still doing somersaults, even when she flops into a chair in the office. The gray-haired secretary purses her lips and shakes her head when Finn explains the situation, and Ella’s relieved when Finn’s the one who calls her mother.

“You need to come and pick Ella up,” Finn says, glancing towards her. “She puked…She’s sort of sick, yeah. You’ll know why soon enough, Aunt Elsa.” She’s always called her Aunt Elsa, just like how Ella’s always called Finn’s mom Aunt Rapunzel. For some reason, it sticks out in her mind, and she doesn’t even notice that their call is over until Finn sits next to her.

The bell rings, and soon enough, the chatter of students starts to begin as they pour out of the auditorium. Ella wonders how many people are talking about her leaving early, how many of them are already beginning forming their theories about what Ella’s going to do now. It’s a conceited notion to ponder, she knows, but it stays in her mind, refusing to leave until Finn shakes her arm lightly.

“C’mon, Ellie,” the green-eyed girl says, “Your mom texted me. She’s out front.”

“Are you gonna leave, too?” Ella asks. She wants nothing more than to go and see her mother, to find some reassurance in her words.

Finn shakes her head. “Nah. I’ll…I’m gonna be fine, I promise. I’ll text or call you…or something. During lunch, maybe. Is that okay? Do you wanna be left alone?”

“Just for a little bit. You can text me if you want.” Ella manages to stand up on her own, at the least. She grips the door’s silver handle, taking a deep breath. “See you later, Finny.” And before Finn can respond, Ella leaves – leaves her behind, leaves the school behind, leaves everything behind.

* * *

 

Ella’s always surprised that guards don’t drive her to school. She knows that her mother is somewhat protective of her – well, somewhat would be an understatement, but still – so it would make sense that they would drive her to and from school, but instead it’s her mom.

Not that she minds. She’d much rather see her mother than some burly guard at the moment.

She slides into the car seat. Her eyes are red and somewhat swollen; her throat feels like it hasn’t had a drop of water in weeks.

“What happened?” Queen Elsa of Arendelle is usually quite calm and composed; at 41, and with half of her life in isolation from the rest of the world, she’s learned to keep her feelings quelled, for the most part. But when it comes to her daughter, it always seems like that demeanor is gone. Maybe it comes with the territory of having the world’s most over-protective mother; she’s always somewhat frantic when something happens to Ella.

The younger of the two stares out of the windshield. She can’t bring herself to look right at her mother. “I threw up.”

There’s a soft sigh, one that lets Ella know she’s being stubborn. “I gathered that, yes.”

“…I threw up ‘cause they’re letting more Isle of the Lost kids to come to Auradon.” She feels like an idiot as she says that, because when she puts it that way, it’s a relatively minor thing to throw up over.

She isn’t looking, but Ella knows her mom is raising one arched eyebrow up, like she can’t believe what she’s hearing. “You didn’t have that sort of reaction the first time.”

There’s a pregnant pause in the air for an excruciatingly long time. Elsa doesn’t press, but the pressure of telling her everything gets to Ella. “They’re letting Hans’s kids come to Auradon, Mother. I’m going to have to…I’m going to have to see them every day. I don’t know if I can handle that.”

Neither of them speaks for several minutes. Elsa starts up the car, starting the trip back to their castle. Ella racks her head, trying to figure out if she said anything wrong. Her mother always has a solution to everything; she’s Queen Elsa of Arendelle, she never has an incorrect answer for anything.

The school is long out of sight when her mother responds. “If you want, we can castle-school you, like we did when you were little. If it really bothers you that much…maybe it’d be best if we did that again. We could get you several tutors. It’s not that difficult.”

Ella hadn’t minded when she was castle-schooled. She didn’t go to Auradon Primary until she was eight, when her mother, her aunt, and her uncle were positive that she didn’t inherit her mother’s powers, until they were positive she wouldn’t accidentally hurt anyone. And though it seems like a good idea now…is it really wise to back away?

God. She’s so confused. She should be eager to go back to castle-schooling, to get away from Hans and whatever descendants he has. But at the same time…she’d be leaving behind all the friends she’s made, the social life that she’s content with, the vast variety of classes that she can choose from, even the teachers.

“I don’t know,” Ella squeaks out. “It…it sounds like a good idea. But I’d miss everyone…and…I don’t know, Mom. I don’t know what to do.”

“Oh, honey,” Elsa says, her voice laced with concern. “I’m not going to force you to be castle-schooled; I’m not going to force you to stay at Auradon Prep, either. That choice is for you to make. But I promise you, either way, they won’t hurt you. I won’t let them.”

The scenery outside of the car is a blur, greens and blues and yellows and grays passing them by without a second thought.

To back out would be cowardly, wouldn’t it? All things considered. Her mother tried to back out and escape her problems – and look where that got her.

Ella isn’t looking at her mother when she says that she wants to stay at Auradon Prep.

She doesn’t look at her mother when they finally arrive at the castle, either. Or when they walk inside. She doesn’t look at Aunt Anna, either, or Uncle Kristoff. She just walks as swiftly as she can to her bedroom.

And her bedroom is her sanctuary; she has no reason to venture outside for the rest of the day, unless her mother tries to drag her into the dining room.

It’s like most of the things in her life – blue. A light pastel blue, to be exact. It’s the exact same color it’s been since she was born, sans the images that Uncle Kristoff had painted in the months before she was born. There had been a giant stencil of a reindeer on one wall and a crown on the opposite wall. Then there had been the giant portrait hanging on one wall of her, her mother, Aunt Anna, Uncle Kristoff, and her cousins, Anders and Kristine. Luckily, she had managed to convince her mother when she was thirteen to paint the reindeer and crown stencils over and put the oil painting in one of the many hallways in their castle.

Her phone buzzes multiple times as she puts it on her nightstand and flops into her large canopy bed, no doubt texts from various people; Finn, Sara, Melody, maybe Merin. Reluctantly, she grabs it; to ignore anyone would make her cause even more of a scene than she already has.

And, surprisingly, though she can see Finn’s name at the bottom of the notifications, the top three are from none other than Evie.

_“r u okay???”_

_“we all saw you run out of the audit.”_

_“carlos told me u went home.”_

Sighing, Ella swipes right on the most recent notification, then starts typing swiftly.

_“I’m not okay, but not not okay. IDK. It’s weird. I went home.”_

She sends that, then, after a moment’s pause, starts typing again.

_“Tell me all you know about Hans’s kid.”_

Evie starts responding almost immediately. Not that Ella expected anything else; even if she’s a Villain Kid, Evie is…well…nice. Not quite as snarky as Mal, but not somewhat introverted like Carlos is, and not as sporty as Jay. Evie is the one Ella likes the most out of the four, and she supposes that Evie must like her too, considering she bothered to text her (and during class, too).

_“idk much. i’ll ask mal tho…i bet she knows.”_

_“OK.”_

Not even fifteen minutes later, as Ella is texting Melody in an attempt to persuade her that, yes, she’s fine,  and no, she doesn’t need to have anyone over after school, she gets another text from Evie.

_“her name is ingrid. she was castle schooled. except she didnt live in a castle...more like a crummy shack...youll know her as soon as you see her bright red hair. shes really tall and shes really snotty. sarcastic. is obsessed with becoming a princess. has it in for your mom. once told mal she would love to trick you into handing her the keys to your queendom (w/e that means). likes to sneak out and party when her dad is asleep. and dances with everyone. probably does more than dance, mal says. thats all she knows."_

Ella crinkles her nose at all she’s been told. She assumed that the girl would be more like her dad – utterly charming, but ice cold to the bone. But apparently, she’s…well…a word that she doesn’t like to say aloud.

And, of course, she has it in for her mom. Just lovely.

She doesn’t bother replying to anyone else once she learns of this Ingrid. She just puts her phone back on the nightstand and curls up into a ball. Bright red hair – Ariel bright? She wonders how much Ingrid resembles her father, wonders if she has the same cold green eyes that Aunt Anna said he has, wonders what she’ll try to do as soon as she arrives.

She closes her eyes. She thinks it’s for a few seconds, but all of a sudden, Kristine is opening the door to her bedroom, dropping her backpack on the floor. Her digital clock reads 3:25 PM.

“Oh, my _Gods_ ,” Kristine says, sitting on the edge of Ella’s bed and kicking off her green and black shoes. “I cannot _believe_ Ben. What does he think he’s doing? Hel- _lo_! This is a disaster begging to happen. Mal told me all about this kid, and she’s a total witch. She’s got it out for us. Do you think she’s good with a sword? She’ll probably _behead_ us.”

Well. At least _Kristine_ hasn’t had as bad as a reaction as Ella has.

Ella sits up, rubbing her eyes. “Somehow, I don’t think that’s allowed. Her owning a sword or beheading us.”

“Are you okay?” Kristine asks as she lets her blonde hair down, letting it fall down to her shoulders. “Everyone knows what happened. Finn and I have been trying to do damage control for you after you fell off the face of the earth and stopped texting Melody and Evie. No one blames you,” she adds quickly, “Most everyone said they’d act the same, too. Even Ally Wonderland kind of acted a bit loony – then again, she’s _always_ loony.”

“I’m…I don’t know what I am, Kris. How’s Anders? Is he alright?” She doesn’t want to focus on herself anymore.

Kristine shrugs. “Alright enough to go to Tourney practice. He didn’t say anything about it. Dad is absolutely bonkers over this Ingrid witch coming to Auradon, though. He’s convinced she’s going to slit all our throats in the middle of the night or something. Or maybe date Anders. I tried to tell him that Anders’ head is too thick to comprehend that someone is flirting with him, but you know Dad…”

“When are they coming? All the new Villain Kids?” Ella asks. If she lets Kristine ramble on any longer about Anders and his thick skull, she’ll go on until midnight.

Kristine has a sheepish grin on her face now. “Um. Ben sorta gave us a short notice on their arrival…like…a _really_ short notice.”

“Exactly how short?”

“They may, just maybe, be arriving as early as tomorrow.” She squeaks out. “But not definitely?”

Ella stares blankly at her cousin.

Kristine stares back.

Tomorrow. She might not even have twenty-four hours to prepare for Ingrid Westergaard’s arrival.

She might just strangle Ben before he has a chance to greet the new Isle of the Lost residents.


	2. liar, liar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos, y'all. :)

Ella would much rather stay at home the next day. She wants nothing more than to stay curled up in her bed, under thick blankets much more suitable for the winter than for the late-summer-barely-fall weather, and maybe watch her favorite show, _Tales of Our Lives_. She wants her mother to bring her Skolbrod, or maybe have Sven’s son, Bjorn, to curl up on the end of the bed with her.

But that doesn’t happen. What does happen, however, is that her mother gently wakes her up at 5:30 AM, and reluctantly, Ella gets ready for school – showers, applies makeup, picks out a decent looking outfit, stares at herself in the mirror and sighs deeply. She receives a hug from her mother, a lung-crushing hug from her uncle, and a much gentler hug from her aunt. She gets her hair ruffled from Anders (which makes her scream internally, as she just spent ten minutes brushing it), and she gets a reassuring-but-not-really smile from Kristine.

The car ride to Auradon Prep is awkward, to say the least. Elsa and Kristine try to make small talk, but Anders is quiet (as usual) and Ella is anxious (somewhat usual). Ella can see the looks her mother gives her every so often, when she thinks she isn’t looking; the crinkle between her eyebrows, the frown, the worried look in her eyes.

When they finally arrive at AP, there’s already a limo near the entrance. Ella’s stomach begins to do somersaults, and her legs turn to jelly. She doesn’t want to get out of the car, but Kristine and Anders are already out, and Kristine grabs on her arm lightly, and her mother says something, but the ringing in Ella’s ears makes it impossible to hear. She can see Ben greeting someone, a group of someone’s, actually, and she sees Mal, too, always by his side, always ready to pounce if someone insults him (which no one in Auradon would do, really).

Her mother drives off, now, and she’s sure that her mother watched her as she left, and she feels sick, so sick. She wants to go back home, she wants to leave and never come back, but she made her decision, she’s not going to be castle schooled, because that would be cowardly, and she isn’t a coward, is she?

There’s four of them, four new villain kids. A girl in black and red, another with thick black curls, a boy with bronze hair. And the girl in the front, the one who’s talking to Ben…well, she makes Ella’s heart stop.

“It’s going to be okay,” Kristine whispers in Ella’s ear. Ella stands up straight, takes a deep breath. The ringing in her ears subsides. Anders – where has he gone? He’s left. Figures. He must be nervous, too. Of course he is.

“Ella!” Ben says, a smile on his face. He’s acting as if there’s nothing wrong, as if the daughter of the man who tried to murder her family isn’t right in front of them. “I’d like you to meet Ginny Gothel, Anthony Tremaine, Hanna Hearts, and Ingrid Westergaard.”

Ginny sneers at her. Anthony waves. Hanna doesn’t even acknowledge her existence.

“And they’ve all promised to play nice, right?” Mal says, giving Ingrid in particular a certain look. If she gave Ella the same look, she’d probably die right there and then; she doesn’t know how anyone else can stand it.

“I can’t make any promises, Mal.” Ingrid says.

She takes a good, long look at Ingrid, now that she’s spoken.

If she really wants to be dramatic, she could say that Ingrid Westergaard is her perfect foil in every shape and form. Her red hair, green eyes, and dark red lips contrasts her blonde hair, blue eyes, and pink lips starkly. She wears a patched jean jacket, paired with white jeans and a dark purple shirt – something that Ella didn’t really expect, but whatever.

She starts to really regret staying outside when Ingrid saunters right up to her, a devilish smirk on her lips. Her arms are folded across her chest, one hand tapping her arm as if she expects Ella to start speaking at any moment. Her hips are swayed to one side, resting the majority of her weight on that side.

“Well, well, well. Look who we have here. You must be none other than Princess Ella. It’s a pleasure to meet you, your majesty.” Ella feels green eyes scrutinizing her, taking up her image greedily, as if she’s hungry for her, like the big bad wolf. “I must say, you’re more… _alluring_ …than I imagined you to be. Here I thought you’d be a scrawny little…well, let’s just say you’ve already exceeded my admittedly low expectations.”

There’s a type of acid in Ella’s voice that she’s never heard before when she responds. “And you’ve already failed mine. Here I thought your father would have taught you some sort of manners.”

Ingrid grins now, displaying perfectly white teeth (how they all manage to achieve that with the rotten diet they’re fed, Ella can’t explain). “When you’re from the Isle of the Lost, you don’t need manners, no matter if you’re technically royalty or not.”

“Well, you’re not on the Isle anymore. You’re in the United States of Auradon, and here, manners are everything.” She knows she’s stalling the tour for the Villain Kids with the banter she’s displaying; she knows she must be irritating Ben, at the very least. But right now, Ella doesn’t care.

“You can take the kid out of the Isle,” Ingrid says, “but you can’t take the Isle out of the kid.”

“Why don’t you go and –”

“How about we start the tour instead?” Ben interrupts, flashing a brilliantly charming smile that makes most ladies swoon. “If you’ll all follow me…” He gives Ella a look; one that tells her that he’s sorry, one that makes her feel bad for wanting to strangle Ben not twenty-four hours ago. “You don’t wanna come, do you, Ella? Or you, Kristine?”

“No,” Ella swiftly responds. “Not at all.”

Kristine shrugs. “Me neither. Sorry, Ben.”

Ben gives another smile, though not quite as big as the one he had on a few moments ago. “That’s alright.”

“What? Am I too hideous to bear being near?” Ingrid says.

The Tremaine boy – Anthony? – nudges her with his elbow. “When you look in a mirror, your reflection screams.”

“When you look in them, they shatter,” the redhead fires back.

“When _you_ look in them –”

“Are we just going to throw insults at each other all day, or are we going to get on with the tour?” The girl with thick black curls (Ginny?) groans. She definitely looks like Gothel’s daughter – her hair goes to the small of her back, and paired with her smooth, pale skin and large grey eyes, well, there’s no denying who her mother is. To further prove it, the dress she’s wearing looks identical to her mother’s, save for the fact that it reaches her knees, and there are no sleeves.

Anthony tosses a glance Ginny’s way. “Throw insults at each other.” There’s an eye roll from the girl as a response.

“Alright, whatever,” Kristine says before the Villain Kids can continue their spat, “Ella and I are going to go now. See you later, Ben. See you, Mal.”

Ben nods in their direction. “I’ll see you guys later. Ella, talk to me later, okay?”

“Uh, sure,” Ella replies, somewhat awkwardly.

Mal smiles (though Ella thinks it’s not quite as genuine as Ben’s). “’Bye, you two.”

“C’mon, Ellie, let’s go see Finn and Ruby.” Kristine says, not bothering to give any more farewells. She grabs Ella’s arm (slightly tighter than she usually would, too), and before she knows it, the blonde is half-dragged to the cafeteria, where she gets lost in the sea of chattering that her friends make.

* * *

The beginning of the school day is…interesting, to say the least. The most prominent events (besides the Arrival of the Villain Kids) are most everyone asking how she is, if she’s okay, and if they can do anything to help her. Every time Ben sees her in the hallways, he gives her a look, as if he’s trying to apologize, or that he wants to make it up to her.

Her classes go by in a daze; she can’t even remember half of what her teachers were talking about. Ingrid Westergaard is in three of her classes; AP World History, Painting 1, and Literature and Composition. She sees flashes of red hair all throughout the day, and she makes sure to avoid the girl like the plague. When it’s time for lunch, rather than go and eat with her friends, she hides in the vast library.

Not that she really minds hiding in the library. She likes it. She likes to read. She always has. Ever since she was a little girl, a lot of her free time has been spent reading books of all sorts, whether non-fiction or fiction. She’d be reading A History of Auradon and the Surrounding Areas one day, then Just Three Wishes the next. Whereas her mother’s passion is in mathematics (particularly geometry), Ella’s is in reading and writing.

So it makes sense to hide out in the library. Even if Westergaard decides to go searching for her, the library is so large that she might never find her.

This is why she’s examining the autobiographies and biographies as if they’re the most interesting things in the known universe. There’s another stack of books nearby, ones that must have seemingly been hidden away by kids who found something more interesting and were too lazy to put it all back. _Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall: A Tale of Daggers, Dwarves, and Apples, A History of the Lineage of Arendelle, The Complete Encyclopedia of Those Imprisoned on the Isle of the Lost_ …well, there’s a plethora of books, to say the least.

The Lineage of Arendelle book is somewhat amusing to Ella; she gets a kick out of seeing her mother or herself in a book. So, of course, she has to read it.

 It also brings back the puzzling question of who her father is; the only mention of him is in one paragraph.

_‘The queen has never spoken of who she met who enchanted her so; rumors, as they are apt to do, have flown around ever since the announcement of her pregnancy. A man of lower status, a king from a faraway land, perhaps even a king who is already betrothed…no one quite knows. All that is ‘official’ is the announcement of her being with child, who arrived into the world five months later. Nothing about the princess has given away any hint of who her father is, either; with blonde hair, blue eyes, and pale skin, she is the splitting image of her mother…’_

This is, essentially, what every book that’s ever mentioned her has said: blah blah blah, no one knows who Queen Elsa had a rendezvous with, rumors abound, announcement of pregnancy four months in. Not that her mom has ever told a soul, it seems; whenever Ella asked when she was younger, she’d simply get a vague answer and was reassured that her father is proud of her.

Is. Meaning that he’s alive. Somewhere.

Not that it matters anymore. She’s obviously never going to get this answer unless it’s a tell tale confession on a deathbed or whatever. So, with a sigh, Ella puts the book back on the pile, deciding to see if there are any more interesting books on the shelves.

Turning to the thick volumes beside her, she traces the titles of the books with her index finger. She can hear the tick-tick-tick of the clocks throughout the library, and the quiet page-turning of students who are studying, researching, or reading for leisure. The books are thick, many of them bound in leather, with gold or silver lettering on the side. Some of the books were donated several years ago from Queen Belle’s personal library, and as a result, are quite old. There are even some from before Auradon’s conception; she’s seen a few detailing the history of the countries before they had been united into one major country. They’re all their own provinces, still; Arendelle, Agrabah, and Corona, for example, are all still considered royal, with their own monarchies. But all their power is still lesser than Beast and Belle’s (and now Ben’s).

All of a sudden, Ella’s thrown out of her thoughts by a quiet shuffling of footsteps coming up behind her. She turns around, expecting Finn or Merin, perhaps giving her the homework she needs to make up for. But instead of anyone she’s comfortable with, it’s Ingrid. Ingrid, with a smile that would rival Ben’s in its’ charm. Ingrid, who’s looking rather…happy, a very different stance than what she had this morning; instead of smug or malice, she looks like she’s already become an Auradon kid and turned over to the ‘good’ side.

“I wanted to apologize for our little spat earlier today. It’s clear that we got off on the wrong foot, and I want to make amends for that.” She’s standing up straight now, her shoulders even, her eyes earnest. “How about we have a proper introduction? I’m Ingrid Westergaard.” She sticks a gloved hand out, her fingertips still peeking out from dark purple leather.

Ella hesitates for a moment. She knows that this is a trap; there’s no way on earth that Ingrid truly wants to make amends. But, on the other hand, if she rejects this, the consequences may be awful. So, reluctantly, she grabs Ingrid’s hand, giving it a firm shake. Ingrid’s skin is warm to the touch, and when their skin meets, it feels like a zap of electricity, which makes Ella jerk back in shock. “I…” she’s at a loss for words at first. Finally, she swallows, then says, “Princess Elisabet Annelin of Arendelle. But call me Ella.”

“A gorgeous name for a gorgeous girl.” If Ingrid noticed the spark when their skin met, she doesn’t show it; she doesn’t react to Ella’s loss of words, either. “I wanted you to know that I’m truly grateful to have the opportunity to come to Auradon, Princess. And that I’m truly sorry for what my father has done to your family.”

She doesn’t believe a word of what the redhead is saying. There’s no way she can turn a complete one-eighty like this. This is just another facet of her father showing through in the girl. But she can’t let Ingrid know that she’s onto her; that’d be stupid of her.

“Of course. What your father did wasn’t your fault.” Ella hopes that her smile looks at least somewhat genuine.

Ella has to admit, Ingrid really does put up a decent enough of a façade; she looks genuinely relieved when the princess accepts her ‘apology’. The redheaded girl opens her mouth to say something; before she can say more, however, the ringing of the school bell interrupts.

“Sorry, have to get to Biology,” Ella says, quickly walking away before Ingrid can try and keep her there any longer.

* * *

There’s no more classes that she has to share with the Westergaard girl, luckily enough.

Her locker is in the middle of Finn’s and Meredith Dunbroch’s, so she’s hearing them chatter away as she stuffs her Writing notebook into her turquoise backpack.

“Seriously, though, who cares what Chad Charming is going to be wearing to some stupid party that he’s throwing next month? Honestly, after what he did to my sister, I’m surprised anyone gives a s—”

“Where is your sister, anyhow?” Ella interrupts. She doesn’t like to hear anyone cussing (and hardly anyone does, luckily…save for her cousin).

“Which one? Anxelin? Probably flirting with Alex Liddel,” Finn scoffs. “I’m pretty sure he’s been hanging around in Wonderland too much, if you know what I mean. All those caterpillars and their hookahs…”

“Hookahs have tobacco in them, Finn, not something else,” Meredith says. “Alex is just…out there, that’s all.”

“Whatever. Are you gonna hang out at my house or not?” Finn doesn’t like being corrected, especially not by Meredith (who Finn likes to jokingly call a know-it-all).

The redhead shrugs. “Dunno. Maybe later. Not right now. I’ll have to ask my mams.”

Honestly, Ella thinks a lot of the reason two of the three DunBroch triplets hang out with Finn is because she doesn’t make that huge a deal about them having two mothers. Apparently, this was a really big deal back in the day; according to Ella’s mother, at least. There’s an unspoken rule in Auradon that if you’re attracted to the same gender, you either suck it up and pretend to like the opposite, or you just never date. Merida DunBroch seems to have defied the majority of expectations and social rules; she made a big fuss about having an arranged marriage when she was sixteen, and she made even bigger waves when she decided she was going to be marrying a lower class girl. A lot of people didn’t seem to like that, and it seems that they’ve passed that distaste onto their children; it’s why the DunBroch triplets have never been and will never be considered popular.

Not that Ella cares. It’s none of her business, and, well, she’d be a bit of a hypocrite if she didn’t like Merida for liking girls. Especially considering that she’s always had an inkling she’d walk down that same path.

“Okay, that’s cool, just text me to let me know.” Finn brings Ella out of her thoughts (something she’s finding herself doing quite often lately) by her response. The green-eyed girl turns to Ella, and says, “Are you gonna come over, too?”

“No,” Ella says. “I’ve got…homework to do…”

Finn slams her locker shut as she slings her backpack over one shoulder. “And you’re going to be thinking about Ingrid Westergaard all night, too, aren’t you?”

“No!” Ella gasps. “No. I’m not. No way. I’m not gonna let her ruin my night.”

“Y’know,” Meredith jokes awkwardly, “My mam says she was the same way before she met my other mam. Hated each other. Do you gotta crush or somethin’?”

The glare the blonde gives her could give Meredith a frozen heart. “No. No crushes. Don’t joke about that. It’s not funny.”

“I hear she was a real witch to you this morning.” Of course Finn knows what happened. She seems to know everything that happens almost as soon as they occur. Then again, Kristine probably told her. “You gonna be alright?”

“I guess. It’s not a big deal. Whatever.”

Finn cocks one eyebrow. “She’s in some of our classes. You’re going to have to deal with her sooner or later.”

“I know, Finn! Just…just stop talking about her. Ingrid Westergaard is stupid and probably evil, Ben’s idea of bringing her to Auradon is stupid, and this entire conversation is stupid. If I hear the name Ingrid Westergaard one more time, I think I’m going to scream.”

“Ingrid Westergaard.” Finn always likes to annoy people. It’s a talent of hers.

But before she really does scream, all Ella does is slam her locker, huff and puff, and storm away. She can hear Meredith chiding Finn somewhat harshly, but honestly, she doesn’t care anymore.

She just wants to get away from everything and go to her room.

And definitely not think about the Villain Kids anymore.

* * *

Ingrid is much more amused with Auradon than she thought she would be.

It isn’t such a bad place. The food is pretty good, the people are pretty good looking, and the classes…well, they could be better, but they aren’t awful.

But that’s not the most interesting thing about Auradon. No, of course it isn’t. It’s the girl she’s been determined to meet ever since she learned she’d be going to this country and leaving the Isle of the Lost (and more importantly, her father) behind.

She wasn’t lying when she said that Princess Ella was a gorgeous girl. She is, really; light blonde hair, ice blue eyes, smooth ivory skin…paired with that blue dress of hers, she’s practically delicious. She wonders if Ella has a boyfriend…or even better, a girlfriend.

Hell, she wonders how many boys and girls in Auradon like the same gender, anyhow. She sure didn’t see any girls holding hands (or boys, for that matter).

She wonders how Auradon feels about a lot of things, really. Premarital sex. Parties. Drinking. They’re all big no-nos, probably. Everyone here is a bunch of goodie two-shoes, always wanting to do the moral and upstanding thing.

She imagines pinning Ella up against the wall, moving her hands so that they grip her hips, feeling the bones there as they kiss, pretty pink lips meeting dark red lips. She imagines the girl stiffening at first, then melting into it, her shoulders relaxing as she gets used to the sensations flowing through her.

She imagines the both of them drunk, feeling lightheaded under strobe lights at a party. She thinks of Ella laughing, of not caring who sees when they kiss, not letting go of Ingrid as they dance.

Shit. She shouldn’t be thinking of these sorts of things. She came to Auradon with one goal in mind: make the royals of Arendelle feel the pain that her father did all those years ago. She doesn’t care if that means all of them die.

She doesn’t care. She doesn’t care. She doesn’t –

“So.” Anthony Tremaine is leaning against the doorframe. “Not a day here, and you’ve already made an enemy in that blonde princess.”

“Maybe not, Tony,” Ingrid says.

“What are you going to do about her?” He asks. There’s a smirk on his face, as if he already knows what she’s planning to do.

She turns away, looking outside through the wide window. There’s a bunch of kids in blue and gold, playing some sort of game out on a vast, green field. Farther away, on the stands, there are a gaggle of girls, mostly dressed in pastels. If she squints, she can make out dark purple meeting blue. It must be Mal and Ben.

Traitor.

“The same thing I’ve always wanted to do, you dolt. Seduce, use, then throw away as soon as she gets boring. Hurt her. Break her heart. Make her feel true pain. She deserves it. They all do.” Ingrid’s voice is ice cold. She won’t tell him – or anyone else – about the jolt of electricity she felt when she touched Ella’s hand. Or about the way her stomach churns whenever they lock eyes.

Nope. That won’t do. Not at all.

“You’re a bit of a sadist, you know that? Did you get that from your dad?” Even if she isn’t looking at Anthony, she knows the exact look he has on his face; a goofy grin, with one eyebrow cocked up as he folds his arms across his chest.

“Shut up, Tremaine. Get out of here, before I tell Mal about your little crush on her. I’m sure that _King_ Ben wouldn’t like you trying to step in on his territory.” She sneers at the word King. He looks more like a puppy than a beast. She doesn’t know what Mal sees in him.

He doesn’t even respond. He leaves in a heartbeat, shutting the door before she can spew more words at him.

The sunlight falls across her room in stripes. The sky outside is a light blue, gorgeous (like everything else in Auradon). The words of her father’s tales of life before the Isle ring in her mind.

_“Queen Elsa and Princess Anna. They sabotaged us, Ingrid. They were jealous. They wanted what they could never have; they wanted to be loved, but their hearts were so frozen that nobody would want them. Anna, especially; she pined after me, wanted me to be her prince, but she was so wicked on the inside that I knew I couldn’t be with her._

_“And Elsa…her powers, controlling ice and snow…She’s dangerous. No one else but you and I seems to be able to get that. She’ll wind up killing her entire family one of these days, and the two of us will be able to say, ‘I told you so’. But until then, until they realize that I was always right…well. Arendelle was more powerful than our country, and when I told my family of the dangers of Arendelle’s royal family, they turned against me. Everyone believed the Queen and princess over me, sweet child, and thus they locked me away on the Isle of the Lost.”_

She’s always been told about the Queen of Arendelle and her wretched sister. Hardly a day went by without him asking her to recite what she can recall about Anna and Elsa. He’s described them so vividly that the image in her head is crystal clear; a clingy, selfish redheaded princess, whose temper had caused her to punch her father, and an even more selfish blonde queen, with glacier eyes and a desire to harm all those who stood in her way.

And it seems that Queen Elsa’s daughter is…well, she isn’t entirely sure how to describe Princess Ella quite yet. But it seems that she’s entirely too trusting. She fell for her apology, hook, line, and sinker. At the rate she was going, she just needed to play her cards exactly right, and, well…sooner than later, she’ll be able to make Queen Elsa, Princess Anna, and even Ella pay for all that they did to her father.

Ingrid smiles to herself.

Oh, living in Auradon will bring glory to the Westergaard name once more when she finishes with her revenge. Westergaards always get the last laugh.

And she is determined to get that last laugh.


End file.
